This summer, join the newly formed West Missouri Episcopal Veterans Fellowship for a book study on The Post-Traumatic God: How the Church Cares for People Who Have Been to Hell and Back
The Episcopal Veterans Fellowship (EVF) was born in 2009 in a resolution from General Convention to “Encourage the establishment of an Episcopal Veterans Fellowship for each diocese.” In 2020, at West Missouri Diocesan Convention, a resolution was passed to create a local chapter of the fellowship for the people who have served our country in military service and have come home with the distinct honor of becoming a veteran. Under the guidance of The Rt. Rev. Diane M. Jardine Bruce, the diocese has begun to form and call both veterans and non-veterans who share their concern for the wellbeing of those who served our country to connect and fellowship with the intention of equipping Christians for ministry through prayer, hospitality, and reconciliation. The EVF of West Missouri hopes to offer educational workshops, healing services, consulting, and coaching for all Christians to better equip all veterans who live into their Baptismal Covenant who live in our communities.
This summer, join the newly formed West Missouri Episcopal Veterans Fellowship for a book study on The Post-Traumatic God: How the Church Cares for People Who Have Been to Hell and Back by The Rev. David W. Peters, an Episcopal priest from the Diocese of Texas. Today, the Church is sometimes perceived as a separate entity (even from within), which may present a barrier to understanding for individuals who have undergone trauma. Peters’ own experience as a chaplain in Iraq and then as an Episcopal priest, as well as his subsequent work with an organization he formed, the Episcopal Veterans Fellowship, led him to realize the need for this entirely different book to bridge that divide. In it, Peters delves into three interconnected themes: history (the early church was a post-traumatic community), theology (particularly based on Tillich’s World War I experiences and the theology he later created), and theology (how the church might offer community to trauma survivors). Post-Traumatic God empowers the Church to heal the soul’s unseen wounds.
The book study conversations will begin on Monday, July 10 at 7 p.m. and happen every Monday through August 7. Contact Todd Wilkinson at ToddWilkinson@JamesRiverBasin.com, our Southern Deanery representative, Susan Eveland at sjeveland@aol.com, our Central Deanery representative, and Deacon Adam James, Northwest-Metro Deanery at dcnadam@standrewkc.org for more information.